Boaters rescued from brink of Niagara Falls

Video has surfaced of the dramatic helicopter rescue of two boaters who were saved by the U.S. Coast Guard a few kilometres from the brink of Niagara Falls.

The U.S. Coast Guard said its Buffalo station got the call from the stranded boaters at about 9:15 p.m. Monday night.

The call was regarding two men aboard a disabled motor boat that was anchored on the U.S. side of the Niagara River, about 610 metres inside the four-kilometre exclusion zone from the Falls. The boat was about three kilometres from the brink of the Falls, according to the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard boat from Buffalo, along with local and state police crews were dispatched to the area. An air crew from the Coast Guard station in Detroit also attended the scene aboard a Dolphin helicopter.

The Coast Guard ships arrived at the exclusion zone at about 9:45 p.m., but could not reach the boat due to the river's shallow depth, so the helicopter was eventually used to rescue the boaters at about midnight.

In the black-and-white video, provided by the Detroit Coast Guard station, the boaters are seen being hauled up toward the chopper while their boat remains below in the river.

The pilot of the chopper, Lt. Cmdr. Jason Trichler, said the team was well-prepared to attempt the rescue.

"The training that we do every day prepared us for this rescue, and it felt great to successfully get these guys out of a tough, and I am sure, scary situation," he said in a statement.

The boaters were transported to the Niagara International Airport in New York State. Neither boater needed medical attention, the Coast Guard said.

The owner of the stranded boat is arranging to have it salvaged with a private company.

Photos

Two boaters about three kilometres from the brink of Niagara Falls were rescued from their disabled vessel by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014.